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Such a frustrating disappointment

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Absolutely Fantastic

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Rio Conchos is directed by Gordon Douglas and adapted to screenplay by Joseph Landon from the Clair Huffaker novel. It stars Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Jim Brown, Tony Franciosa, Wende Wagner and Edmond O'Brien. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and Joseph MacDonald is the cinematographer. Out of 20th Century Fox it's a CinemaScope production filmed in De Luxe Color, and primary location used for filming was Moab, Utah.One ex-Confederate officer out for revenge against the Apache, one Army Captain driven by a sense of duty, one Buffalo Soldier continuing to prove himself and one Mexican convict getting a second shot at freedom. Four men, one journey, a mission to find who is arming the Apache with repeating rifles. Danger, mistrust and hostility are their only companions.The plot may be routine, and certainly it owes a debt to The Comancheros (Huffaker involved there too), but this is a tough and dark Western propelled by fine acting, quality direction and photography to die for. Structured around a men on a mission basis, each one with their own particular issues, it's very much a character driven piece. It's the time spent in the company of these men that makes the film so riveting, it never gets dull, the character dynamics are such, that we never quite know what to expect from the next part of the journey. Director Douglas also doesn't shy from action, pitting our odd group against Mexican Bandits and Apache Indians along the way, and then delivering a high octane finale that has a few twists and turns to keep it away from being formulaic.Whitman and Brown acquit themselves well enough, as does Wagner as the sole female of the piece. But acting wise this film belongs to Boone and Franciosa. The former portrays a bitter vengeful heart with ease, with a lived in alcoholic face, his destiny you feel is mapped out from the off. The latter shines as the ebullient character of the group, shifty, sly and as untrustworthy as it gets, Franciosa's play off of Boone gives the film its central pulse beat. But arguably all players are trumped by MacDonald's photography and Douglas' use of the scenery. From pretty much the first frame the landscape is the big character here. Douglas wisely using many long shots to reveal miles of vistas, then knowing when to pull in close to envelope the characters to give off the feeling of mental claustrophobia. Exterior work here belies the budget afforded the film, and all told it's a far better movie than the bigger produced Comancheros. Goldsmith's score is also a plus point, striking the mood from the get go, his arrangements flow at one with the hazardous destiny of the four men.One of the better 60's Westerns, it's in desperate need of a remastering job being done on it. 8/10

The cavalcade of generally stunning 20th Century Fox Cinemascope/Color westerns that were produced in the fifties really came to an end with "Warlock" in 1959. The sixties saw a diminishing public appeal for them but during the new decade there were a few excellent examples of the genre still to come in the shape of RIO CONCHOS (1964), a reasonably good remake of "Stagecoach" (1966), the outstanding "Hombre" (1967) and the hearty "Butch Cassiday & The Sundance Kid" (1969). The latter two regretfully dropping the Cinemascope extension from the Fox logo and renaming the same process Panavision.After "Hombre" the best of them is by far RIO CONCHOS! A rugged rip roaring adventure in the best action packed tradition of the Hollywood western. Produced for the studio by David Weisbert the picture's basic premise gave an assertive nod to the studio's earlier "The Comancheros" (1960). Deriving from the novel by Clair Huffaker it was written for the screen by Joseph Landon and Clair Huffaker (who also wrote "The Comancheros"). The amazing Cinemascope cinematography came from genius cameraman Joe MacDonald and it was all solidly directed by the somewhat underrated Gordan Douglas.Richard Boone is Apache hating Major Jim Lassiter, late of the confederacy, who - with a furtive Mexican companion Rodriquiz (Tony Franciso) - is seconded into a Yankee undercover operation to find out where 2000 repeating rifles have disappeared to. Under the leadership of Captain Haven (Stuart Whitman) and his black Sgt.Franklyn (Jim Brown in his first movie appearance) Lassiter learns that his old Confederate commanding officer - the demented Colonel Theron Pardee (Edmond O'Brien) who is holed up on the Rio Conchos - is in possession of the guns and plans to arm the Apaches so as to reignite the Civil War. The mission is to thwart the Colonel's intentions and destroy the guns. In a marvellous set piece the picture ends literally in an explosive finale as the cache of arms goes up in a mushroom of smoke.Performances are generally good throughout. Whitman is fine in the lead in what is probably his best movie. But Richard Boone is a tad excessive in his playing. His Lassiter character is over-stylized even to the point where some of his scenes are rendered weak and unconvincing. However the acting honours has to go to Tony Francioso in one of the best roles he ever had. He is superb as Rodriquiz the wily, unscrupulous and womanizing Mexican. It is an Oscar winning performance! And there is an interesting bit of casting for an Indian girl played by the little known Wende Wagner. Here the actress perfectly creates an impressively authentic portrayal of a young Apache female.Conveying the action along is the terrific score by Jerry Goldsmith. Although he had previously written the music for a few westerns such as the forgotten "Black Patch" (1957) and his fine wistful effort for "Lonely Are The Brave" (1962) nothing before or after can compare to his work on RIO CONCHOS. It is a driving propulsive score! The main theme - first heard under the titles - is quite brilliant with the accordion gently introducing the tune accompanied by clunking banjo, guitar, scratcher comb and whip before the strings take up the tune to full flight. This cue is used later in an up tempo treatment for an escape and river crossing sequence with the strings screaming out the theme against repeated figures in the brass. The use of music here makes the scene simply breathtaking. There is also a plaintive reflective cue to characterize the Indian girl in a melancholy movement and there's some attractive indigenous folk tunes played on guitar for a Cantina sequence. RIO CONCHOS is Jerry Goldsmith's best score for a western!Jerry Goldsmith's music is just one exceptional element that makes RIO CONCHOS a remarkable, memorable and exciting action picture and gets my vote as one of the best westerns Hollywood ever conjured up.

If you are fan of great westerns and acting you must see this movie. I have not missed many westerns, but up until today I have never had a chance to see this, I knew about it thanks to IMDb and I am a huge fan of Richard Boone whom I consider on of the best Wesern Stars ever, right up there with John Wayne,Clint Eastwood Henry Fonda etc. Others have given the story line better than I could. But Boones performance is a must see, he totally dominates the film is as usual so incredibly believable, probably because in real like he was one tough S.O.B. It is great to see him in the beginning a burnt out shell of an ex confederate officer who's family was butchered by the Apaches and as the story races forward he slowly changes into an honourable man at the end. Some great scenes include the shoot out with the Apaches at the burned out farmhouse and Boones performance in the flea ridden bar was a also a great scene. Boone was so convincing as a tough guy, someone you wouldn;t want to go against. Great cinematography and soundtrack acompany this film which moves along at a fast rate and contains a few well placed plot turns. Highly recommended to any western fan and I hope to find it on DVD

There's no really new ground covered here - post civil war barbarity, lawlessness and retribution. But it does have some noteworthy elements.Even though violence has always formed the core of the Western, the *depiction* of the violence here is unusually graphic. Lots of blood, shootings, spearings and men burned alive. Boone bashes the Apache chief over the head with scales -- a visual metaphor for the 'broken justice' of the whole affair.And the action sequences are remarkably well arranged and edited: Franciosa throws a knife into a mounted bandido, who falls from his horse. He's dragged by his stirrup and Franciosa grabs his knife out of the passing body so he can reuse it -- all with a wink at us.Also of note is the theme of O'Brien building his own Confederacy south of the border, symbolized by the half completed neo-Classical structure in the desert. "The Undefeated" had similar themes, but this is much smarter.The weakness lies in the wooden supporting cast -- the part of the Apache girl/combatant is not handled very well. Brown is given little to do in his film debut. The women are sex objects. The Apaches are depicted as 'injuns'.It does end in a smart, unsentimental way, suggesting "Bridge on the River Kwai". But on the whole, and with today's hindsight, it doesn't clear the bar raised up by "...Josey Wales".